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China Conducted First Test of the S-400 Air Defence System

According to Russian Press Agency Sputnik on the 22nd of December, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China conducted a successful test of one of the Russian S-400 Triumph (NATO reporting name SA-21 Growler) air defence systems, which were supplied in May 2018, Russian media reported. During the test the S-400 reportedly shot down a ‘simulated ballistic target’ almost 250 kilometers away and moving at a speed of around 3 kilometers per second. According to the report, the opposing force on the drills actively used jamming equipment to test the S-400’s ability to withstand methods of electronic warfare and still strike down targets.

The Russian S-400 Air Defence and Missile Systems has been selected by China that was first international buyer of these systems in November 2014. Russia and China have inked a contract worth US$ 3 Billion which consisted of two batches. Within scope of the agreement, the first batch of the Triumph system was delivered to China in May of 2018.

Russia’s S-400 Triumph (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is the latest long-range antiaircraft missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range missiles and surface targets. The system can hit aerodynamic targets at a range of up to 400 kilometers (249 miles) and tactical ballistic targets flying at a speed of 4.8 km/s (3 mi/s) at a distance of up to 60 kilometers (37 miles). Such targets include cruise missiles, tactical and strategic aircraft and ballistic missile warheads.